Sojourn
by ViOlEt-KaT
Summary: Sakura's training and has an unexpected spectator. Sasuke... what does he want? Rated T just to be safe.


(A/N: Another one-shot that is appropriate for the kiddies this time. Hope it doesn't seem too dull to you guys. It is to me…)

Disclaimer: You Know What It Is… (T.I. got that from me)

Title: Sojourn

Sakura, was exhausted from training in the middle of the forest. It was the surface of the lake in which she practiced extreme chakra control she had to use to stand on the water as if it was solid. She flicked her pink tresses away from her Peridot eyes. Unusual colors for a human being yet they happened to be her natural features making her look exotic to enemies. Girls her age or older within the Hidden Leaf, were envious of her and the opposite gender desired her. But today she wasn't what she'd call desirable as she was sweaty and fatigued. She'd been out since 3 am and was nearing her limit of perfect chakra control feeling her feet sink within each passing minute.

She felt herself being watched by a familiar presence but wasn't quite sure who it was and smirked thinking it was Ino or Kakashi who often interrupted her solo training sessions. 'I wonder why he/she hasn't even come out yet?' she thought pulling shuriken out of her holster. Whipping them around in the air she also pulled out a kunai and threw it at the weapons to change their direction. Her calculations of any escape told her mind that it was futile but she heard the ever so familiar "thunking" sounds of the weapons hitting a tree instead of a body instead. Shaking her head and turning around she dismissed it as just her imagination and hoped she didn't hurt a bird or squirrel nearby.

"Your observation and analytical skills were always better," a knowing voice stated. In shock she started and to look up to see who it was but bumped into something hard and warm. Her brows knitted in confusion to her lack of senses as she was staring at a well built muscular chest. Sakura recognized the voice and lifted her eyes cautiously and looked up feeling her face flush at the view. Uchiha Sasuke of all people had her nose stuck into his chest which smelled really good. His face portrayed no emotion but had that same air of indifference as he just stared at her. He blinked and she forgot where she was instantly, unconsciously canceling her chakra supporting her feet. Her fall was signified with a loud splash of water and the immediate cool rush of it surrounding her. Underwater she looked up at him looking down on her. His eyes showed a familiar amusement but the rest of his face was expressionless.

'Crap! What am I going to do? I'm running out of air and he's probably going to kill me like he tried to do last-,' the rants in her head abruptly stopped by her sudden glimpse of a smirk that made its way on his face but it disappeared as soon as it came. The image almost made her doubt what she just saw but her eyes widened in revelation as soon as she felt her chest tighten in pressure. Her mind was telling her to swim, run, or just stay away from the sudden guest. She remembered that the day Sai was officially approved of, in a series of many events that led them toward Sasuke at the Sound base almost led to their deaths. One of those events happened to be him trying to run her through with his katana. Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was slowly gaining control of her body and mind and convinced her to go for it. If he wanted to kill her he would've done it already. He was watching her for nearly an hour. At least she thought it was because that's how long she felt like she was being watched by his hawk like gaze.

Sakura looked down at her hands shaking from the pressure of the body of water as she remained stagnant in the water sinking fast. She realized that if she were to go up and fight she would lose from chakra depletion anyway. Still if survival was in order the kunoichi would have to be quick and clever about her escape as she would play it cool. She was about to take a deep breath for self encouragement but realized she was still underwater. Her eye twitched as a fish crossed her path mocking her with its gills. Deciding that she didn't want her cause of death to be drowning in her own training area she swam upward while telling herself, 'It's either now or never…' and burst through the surface instantly feeling the warmth of the noon sun. Her lungs took in all the air they could making her gasp and sputter.

When settling down after a couple of seconds she hoisted her soaked body up and sat down while looking around on the surface from where the both of them had stood. No Sasuke. Maybe she had been imagining him in her tired state? It wasn't unusual but… No. She was positive she saw him and dismissed her thoughts on a suggestion of deliria. "I thought you were going to kill yourself on purpose," his voice whispered in her ear from behind. In shock and horror she sprung up from the surface like a dolphin yelping and landed heavily on the shore's ground with a loud thud. She couldn't stop the flow of hot blood rushing to her cheeks as her heart beat inconsecutively trying to pump more blood to replace what her head stole.

Feeling lightheaded she continued to think about the best way to handle this new situation. Letting out a breath of annoyance to his toying with her like he was some predator, and probably was, she turned her head towards the young rogue nin still looking at her but this time with a raised brow. Unbeknownst to her, it had risen higher when she suddenly flew out of the water's surface. "What are you doing here?" was the first thing she called out to him, pouting and displeased. He stared and was silent until he decided to walk towards her. "You can answer from there," she replied smugly. He snorted and held out his hand as he arrived on the shore. Her face became hot once again. She was puzzled at his sudden change of manner and attitude. Cautiously she refused his hand and stood up on her own dripping wet and in a sorry state.

A wind blew by making her skin gather in goose bumps as she felt the cool, wet fabric cling to her body and exposed her figure. The Uchiha took a good look at this new hour glass figure she obtained which was pretty different form her 12 year old stick form. He saw her nipples harden through her standard red vest and flat stomach tighter and stiffer through her irritated breathing. His black diamonds traveled all over her wet body until he reached her face. It was studying his face hard, well aware that he was checking her out. This time a harsh wind flew by and she started to shiver. A second later the convulsions were followed by a little squeak. Had it not been for his highly trained senses he wouldn't have discerned that it was a sneeze. He blinked and scrutinized her for a couple more seconds before he started picking up sticks for what seemed like firewood. He shifted his head towards a more dry area where there was almost no shade from the dear sun.

Sakura cocked her head in wonderment. Clearly he was in no rush to go anywhere anytime soon but felt as if he wouldn't let her do so if she wanted to. Her mind screamed "run" as soon as she was given the chance and forget that he had inhuman speed. She followed him feeling her heart thump through her chest but continued to be alert and cautious of the situation. "Are you going to answer Sasuke?" she asked him without the usual "-kun" on purpose. Before he left, for some reason he listened more when the suffix was missing. "Hn," he muttered with an amused tone. Sakura however was not amused. She stared expectantly and he stared back intrigued by the girl who should've tackled him on sight. She'd like to in anger but she didn't. Her cheeks continued to give her away as she narrowed her Peridot eyes at him. Curious and in a good mood he decided to stick around and see what she'd do next after he turned around and lit the fire he was preparing for. He heard her growl inaudible obscenities under her breath as soon as the flames came to life and felt her brush past him towards her huge medical bag.

Biting her tongue she thought of a plan she would use to get away from him. He didn't seem hostile at all which crushed her discomfort in one fell swoop. Heck he even seemed happy. A happy Uchiha is better than a cranky one, especially when you wake them up. Although… they do seem a bit suspicious and a tad bit scary. Sakura was not scared… just intimidated. She brought out a scroll and freed her spare clothes from sealed scrolls only to find that all she had were towels and rags, 'Note to self: prepare things to actually wear in this stupid scroll,' she turned towards Sasuke and gave him a withering look as if to say, "What the hell are you looking at?" But all he did was raise a brow. She glared back and burst out, "Turn around, you perv!" Surprisingly he gave her a suggestive smirk and folded his arms in front of his chest in arrogance. As if he was meant to look.

"Just because you have a friggin' blood line limit that allows you to "see" doesn't mean that I'm one of those things that you're supposed to spy on. Turn around now," she bit through her teeth. She didn't know why but he just shrugged and complied with her "request" walking towards the water. 'I could escape now,' she thought but just as she turned around a huge snake was staring right at her. Her heart leapt up in her throat. "What the hell?!" she yelled out pointing to it as it hissed at her. The reptile seemed to disapprove of her choice of words, "What is it?" she heard him call behind her. She turned around only to see that he was walking further away from her and that his back was still turned. He had his Kusanagi out making her qualms about him rise once again.

"Massssster, thissssss pink thing hasssss called you out of your name. Shall I disssssspossssse of her?" She gaped at the suggestion. How dare that… that… snake! Well that's what it was, but it still sounded lame in her mind, and how dare it call her a pink thing? Anyway even if it tried it couldn't take her. She was sure of it. It would be sad if she lost to an animal that only seemed deadlier than her. "Excuse me?!" she shouted narrowing her eyes incredulously at the tongue that darted out from time to time. "No Basho, don't, I can handle her myself. You're dismissed." She turned around almost giving her self whiplash, "What did you say, Uchiha?" He ignored her as his summon replied hesitantly, "Assss you wish," and disappeared in a brief cloud of smoke.

A tick developed in her eye as he continued to act as if nothing happened and growled under her breath as she looked around for something to throw. Spotting a few good sized rocks to throw at his cocky head she smiled evilly as she quickly threw off her wet clothes carelessly onto a branch to dry and wrapped a huge towel around her person. As soon as she fixed her hair she hurled three of the objects simultaneously at his stupid chicken butt head and waited for them to meet their destination. As soon as it seemed like they would hit, her eyes widened in fascination as he bowed down gracefully and caught them in his left hand suspended in the air, while he jabbed his katana into the water. Sakura didn't miss the arrogant smirk that placed itself on his face as he stood up just as flawlessly, pulling his sword out of the water that now obtained fish. The metal ran right through them but they still flopped around in panic as the life was starting to disappear.

He was about to turn his eyes toward her direction but she wouldn't allow him to see her shocked and rage filled expression so she turned around and crossed her arms in defiance. Her chance to escape was throttled… she couldn't even sense a ninken. Sucking her teeth in disdain she stomped toward a nearby log and kicked it en route for the fire Sasuke had made earlier. It dropped heavily in front of the inferno agitating the flames as it created a makeshift draft. The girl didn't even waste any time sitting down and looking off to the side avoiding his curious gaze. It made her self conscious. Just what the hell was he looking at? 'Look somewhere else dammit,' she thought while sighing out as she turned her head to the fire.

Its heat reminded her of the past, when he was part of Team 7, he always loved using his fire jutsu whenever he got the chance. She leaned in closer and held out her hands towards its inviting vibrant colors. She always thought the element danced. Sakura didn't know why but after he left she'd always look at a flame, and remind herself why she was getting stronger whenever training with Tsunade-sama seemed hopeless. At night, if she had to stay up late at night to study for a test she'd always use a candle and turned off her lamp. Her cheeks warmed up as she got closer and ignored everything around her. Even Sasuke who decided to say something after an extended amount of time fell on her now deaf ears. She remembered her mother calling her a "Pyromaniac," and smirked at the epithet. She wasn't obsessed with fire… just spellbound. How could something so stunning be so painful?

She frowned once more but didn't stop her advance towards the fire. A thin line of her chakra coated her appendage as it irrevocably stroked the flames. Her hand was indefinitely protected as she held a little wisp of it in her palm and pulled it out of the burning inferno. It dissipated into the atmosphere as soon as she brought it up to her face. She sighed again and found herself looking at a black pant's leg. Her head lifted upwards towards Sasuke. He was staring at her with absolutely nothing registering on his face. But his eyes seemed a little surprised at her actions. She guessed fondling fire wasn't something he saw everyday. 'Was he there the whole time?' she asked herself as her mood darkened and forced out a, "Yes?"

He stared for awhile before blinking and knelt down to put the pair of fish he'd caught earlier on a pike and then set it on a makeshift stand that he seemed to have set up as she spaced out of it. Sakura soon decided she had to stop daydreaming and think of a way to escape. She glared at the fish as she racked her brain for a solution but nothing came up. "You've changed," he suddenly said. Sakura snapped her eyes towards him and forgot to look threatening. "Huh?" she said while mentally smacking herself upside her useless large forehead. Just great… Sasuke didn't see her as a threat or intelligent either. He didn't look at her but started to mimic her actions earlier and this time the flame stayed in his hand. She just noticed that his arm guards were off and that his katana was sheathed again. Green eyes followed his face trying to catch his own pitch black ones. When they were twelve, she remembered that every time he glared at her she got to find out that they were actually a dark gray. Nevertheless they always seemed like a void to her.

He abruptly closed his fist and the last of its contents formed a curl of smoke. She watched it blend in with the air around them. That was another terrible factor of this element. It left an ugly trail just like it's users past. She turned her head towards the fish again waiting for them to cook. Just, why was he wasting time with her when he could be out looking for the murderer of his clan? When they were just genin fresh out of the academy all he wanted to focus on was that monster. His teammates were only minor necessities that he could replace… and he did. What did he call them now? Team Hebi. She held in a snort of provocation. His very being here was an insult. "You too," she finally responded feeling his eyes boring into her soul like they used to as he walked around and sat beside her. "You're the one that's annoying now," she trailed off ignoring his side glance and raised brow.

He "hmphed" and leaned back a bit. "Now will you answer my question?" she added hopeful that he would answer. It took several seconds before he sighed and shrugged. She let out a frustrated breath and looked up at the summer clouds. They were the huge puffy ones that Shikamaru liked to look at during this time of the day. She wondered if he ever bothered trying to see if they looked like any type of familiar object or animal because that's what she was doing now. Something inside told her to think of a way to escape but the sky just calmed her down too much and disturbing as it was it was, she felt as if she could relax around the S-class criminal right next to her. Her floral eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on one particular cloud that looked exactly like a snake. 'What the hell… that can't be a good sign,' she considered.

Without thinking Sakura asked what had been bothering her for a very long time after he left. "Does it still hurt?" She could've punched herself in the face. She was not worried about him she was angry at him, dammit! He didn't answer and she breathed in deeply. It's not like he would know what she was asking about anyway. The question was very vague. She could've been asking about anything, like his ego, feelings –if he had any –, and his head –because she was very sure something was seriously wrong with it–, his eyes –because she heard from Kakashi sensei that possessors of the Sharingan could lose their eyesight in time if they awoke the last stage. Did he get it yet? But she knew she was asking about the curse seal on his neck and there was a 75 chance that he knew too. After all she was there when he first obtained it.

"No," he surprisingly answered sparing her a glance. Her face looked upset but calm. Catching her eye she turned to face him as he continued, "It hasn't since I left the village. Did you really think I would be weak enough not to be able to control it after so long?" At that instant he saw her eyes harden into a steely gaze as she blocked all emotions from showing up on her face. "Is that so?" she hummed lowly finally looking back down. They listened to the sounds of the fire that seemed to make a lot of noise at the moment. Another opportunity of a decent conversation between the two had blown away with the wind. Just thinking about that element alone reminded her of Naruto. During this time of day he would be enjoying his favorite pastime. Eating at IchiRaku's with Iruka and possibly Sai. She would usually be dragged along into the tradition but she said she'd be training all day by herself, which was rare considering that she was the Hokage's apprentice. So the possibility of him stopping by to see if she wanted to eat was non existent.

Tsuande was currently busy, had no time for Sakura, and Shizune was enough to help her out with her duties today. Sakura considered that a blessing in disguise but was dead wrong when this guy showed up out of nowhere. Just reviewing the situation she was in made her angry and it only got worse when she came to the conclusion that she couldn't do anything about it. 'A ninja has patience in all that they do. Especially kunoichi. They are the ones credited for their longsuffering for the good of the mission,' she reminded herself of the lessons she was taught back at the academy. Sometimes she missed those days because they were never complicated like the present. But if she never graduated from the academy she would've never had Naruto of all people become her best friend, she would've never become an apprentice of a legendary Sannin who also happens to be the Hokage, she would've never acquired any of the things that mattered most to her now. Strength, wisdom, knowledge, friendship, respect, and honor. Half of the things that were listed, she never would've thought she was capable of in a million years. Sometimes reviewing all that has happened since she became a full fledged kunoichi makes her head spin but she knew that it was real. Those things really happened. The fact that she's one of the most respected kunoichi, and a chuunin no less, in the village is proof.

She wondered if Naruto, Kakashi, and even Sasuke felt that way sometimes. Or maybe it was just her? After all she was the weakest out of the four and wouldn't be surprised if that was the case even now. At least she knew that what was considered strong for kunoichi was what she had surpassed a long time ago. Even so she had room for improvement and roughly knew the difference between her and her old teammates. Her goal was to be just as strong or even stronger than them and not only prove her worth to herself but to them as well. "Sakura?" she raised her brows to signal that she was listening, not looking up "Don't you want to eat?" he finished. She peered up at the inquiring boy and saw sincerity in his eyes as if he was apologizing for earlier.

Looking towards the fire to see that there was one fish left for her to eat and was starting to burn she took the pike out from over the fire and started nibbling at the food. She didn't notice until after she finished before Sasuke that she was really hungry. Stifling a burp she threw the stick into the flames and watched them lick at the wood. Once again she felt his eyes on her and couldn't help but whine out, "What is it now?" and turned towards him. He was looking at her strangely giving her more than enough of a reason to jerk back, but she didn't. His hand reached out towards her face making her go stiff. What was he doing? He suddenly stopped as if contemplating on what he should do but then he went ahead and cupped her cheek, in what she would've thought intimate.

He rubbed the pad of his thumb on the edge of her lips and finally flicked a piece of fish from her chin. The hand lingered there a bit longer than it was supposed to making it hard for her to concentrate on what he was doing. The warmth his appendage had created disappeared in an instant as he turned back to the fire like it wasn't such a big deal. This was him… wasn't it? She never remembered Sasuke being that… gentle. "You eat like a pig," he said out of nowhere. She stared for awhile before realizing that he had just insulted her. The reaction this time wasn't as explosive as it should've been as she scowled towards his general direction. Now that was the Sasuke she knew. Back then, if he had unexpectedly acted nice towards her or Naruto he would back it up with a witty retort or snide remark to throw them off the impression that he was, for once, considerate. For the first time since their encounter that day, she smiled, without realizing it.

"What's with that look?" he asked not turning his head. She said nothing and turned towards the shore of the lake. It was a really pretty shade of blue that reflected the sky's reflection in some parts, reminding her of Naruto's eyes. Strangely she felt as if he was watching and that there was no condemnation in what he saw. Sakura wondered why and felt comforted by it. As the wind blew she looked at the ripples it created and sighed in content, then answered, "Looks like you haven't changed after all," that's when he turned his head and stared while she looked on ahead. He saw the hope in her eyes and narrowed his own. "Hn, it's about time you figured that out."

\O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/ \O.oo.O/

They stayed there all day until the stars came out and kept the fire going as they talked about what they were up to recently. Surprisingly Sasuke asked just as many questions as she did… and answered them as best as he could or rather, answered what he felt he wanted to answer. At times she was frustrated but didn't give up especially since he looked like he was about to answer one of her important ones.

"I'm not here to stay," he'd say.

"But… why?" She'd ask back.

"You know why," he answered irritated.

"…" she stayed silent for awhile.

"…" he the same.

"…" she'd look somewhere else other than him.

"Stop coming after me," he'd blurt out.

"… I can't do that," she'd reply hesitantly.

"Sakura…" he'd warn.

"And you know why," she finished looking straight into his eyes.

Ever since then she saw that they were once again their dark assumed shade. She didn't know why but she liked how he looked at her now as opposed to when they were twelve. It was as if he acknowledged her and it felt great. Better than she thought it would. She wondered if she still felt the same way she had back then. Probably not but it didn't matter. "Are you ever going to come back?" This was her last question. The one she had been avoiding all day just in case he'd blow her off or worse… say no. "I'll see," he said unexpectedly. The answer wasn't exactly satisfying but he was never one to please. That was her personality trait not his and just because she decided to stop asking questions didn't mean she'd stop talking at all. So she brought out the heavy artillery to see if he would really come back to the village or not.

"Naruto misses his best friend," she stood up and stretched avoiding his eyes on purpose. "That's not surprising," he answered. Sakura forced her self not to look at his face for an expression. She knew that he'd either look indifferent or bemused. It wasn't much considering who she was dealing with but it was enough. "Hmm…" she looked up at the heavens and its wonders. "He asked me why I didn't kill him not too long ago," she nodded and walked towards her clothes that had long since dried. She turned towards him and raised a brow as she caught him looking at her. He turned around hesitantly as if he expected her to run not knowing that she had given up on the option long ago. "Well think about it. Although it was a few months, you two were inseparable…" she snapped her fingers to emphasize the point, "like that." He didn't turn around or respond. Typical.

She finally zipped her vest up and sealed the towel away into the scroll and stuffed the container into her medical bag. "He still lives in the past –," "So do you!" she cut him off and beamed a pebble at his head. He dodged and it fell into the water with not so much as a splash. She sighed and walked towards her spot once again and dropped her bag at her side before sitting down.

"Hypocrite," she mumbled bringing her knees upwards to her face and hid her mouth behind them.

"Annoying," he mumbled back lacing his hands in front of his face and leaning his arms on his own knees.

They were both looking at the fire again. Sakura wondered how long it's been since she was away from the village. People would start looking for her if her mother was worried about her. She stole a glance at him but it looked like he was in as much deep thought as her. She should leave soon… she wouldn't alert anyone (surprisingly) that she was here. But would he let her leave? He stood up and extinguished the fire only leaving the moon and stars to do their jobs as natural light for the earth. "What are you…?" she didn't finish as she found herself looking at his Sharingan. He could see in the dark with those but she figured it was for a different reason that he activated them. "Don't give me that look. You have to go home don't you?" she huffed and looked at the lake that gave off the reflection of the moon. She was pretty much sure that he was not a mind reader. His voice held something in it. He had to leave soon. Why was he in such a hurry anyway? He didn't act like it when he first revealed himself to her.

Stubbornly, she nodded and started to walk in the direction of the village but stopped once hearing footsteps trail her own. Turning around with a slight flush of irritation she pointed at his silhouette that contained his two blood red eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" He didn't say anything for awhile. "Isn't it obvious? I'm walking you home," Sakura sucked her teeth. Of all the stupid… "Look, I'm not 12 years old anymore. I can handle myself and if you haven't noticed you're an S-Class criminal so–!" "Just shut up, Sakura," she felt something flick against her finger and focused on the outline almost going cross-eyed. It was a finger. Her ears, face, and neck felt hot. Why did he do that? And aim there of all places… Didn't he know that she was sensitive about her looks… especially her forehead?

She slapped his hand away but he brushed it off once seeing her displeased face. "As you bid my liege," she mumbled turning around and disappearing in the thicket of woods toward the village. Sasuke followed her until the gates came into view. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her towards him. "What the hell? What's wrong?" she hissed annoyed, "…nothing," she raised a brow before staring at his face as well as she could. Was he trying to tell her something? "Who goes there?" a guard sounded a ways off. Sakura rolled her eyes and waited for Sasuke to let go. He didn't. "Uh, Sasuke… do you want to get caught?" He deactivated his eyes much to her surprise. She was about to ask him another question but felt something soft touch her face. It was his hand. She lifted her own to his and felt her heart beat through her chest as their skin touched. Why was he touching her like that? More importantly why was she so self conscious? "Sasuke-kun?" she asked hesitantly feeling the guard's watch come closer. "Hn," she squeezed his hand, "Be safe." She told him before letting go and walking up to the guard. He teleported to a tree branch to watch her lie through her teeth then walk through the gates colossal doors, "Of course…" he murmured before going the opposite way.

(A/N: I know it's boring but I felt as if I should've put it up anyway. I felt like experimenting with a one-shot. All of my one-shots are and will be experiments for other ideas.)


End file.
